Senate Democrat says he'll endorse Bush

WASHINGTON (CNN) --Democratic Sen. Zell Miller of Georgia said Wednesday he will endorse President Bush in the coming presidential election.

"This does not mean I am going to become a Republican," Miller said in a written statement. "It simply means that in the year 2004, this Democrat will vote for George Bush."

Miller first declared his intention in an online interview with The Weekly Standard, saying Bush is "the right man at the right time."

Miller is a lifelong Democrat who gave the keynote speech at the Democratic convention in 1992. He is the former governor of Georgia and one of the most popular Democrats in the state. But his decision isn't much of a surprise. Miller has been increasingly critical of his party in recent years, and he has strongly supported Bush on issues ranging from tax cuts to the war against Iraq.

In an upcoming book, "A National Party No More: The Conscience of a Conservative Democrat," Miller is scathing in his criticism of Democratic presidential candidates, comparing them to "streetwalkers in skimpy halters and hot pants plying their age-old trade for the fat wallets on K Street." In the book, Miller says the Democratic presidential candidates are too far to the political left and too beholden to special interests.